50 Teams from Four Countries Participated, Including 44 from Arizona; Any Student Participating on a FIRST Team Eligible to Apply for Over $14M in Scholarships

CHANDLER, Ariz.-- Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today announced the results of the 2012 FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) Arizona Regional held March 23-24 in Chandler. Phoenix's Carl Hayden High School, Chandler's Seton Catholic High School, and Toronto, Canada's Crescent School qualified to compete in the 2012 FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, April 26-28 in St. Louis, Mo. Phoenix's Cactus High School, Scottsdale's Saguaro High School and Flagstaff's Coconino High School were the Regional Finalists. Students had six weeks to build a robot capable of competing in this year's competition, the game for which was called Rebound RumbleSM, where teams joined forces in driving their robots to shoot as many basketballs as possible into hoops throughout several two-minute, 15-second matches. Any student participating on a FIRST team is eligible to apply for more than $14 million in scholarships.

"FIRST is a collaboration of industry, academia and the community working toward a common goal and making learning fun, with the objective of impacting youth and our economy in a positive, dramatic way"

"FIRST is a collaboration of industry, academia and the community working toward a common goal and making learning fun, with the objective of impacting youth and our economy in a positive, dramatic way," said Steve Sanghi, president and CEO of Microchip Technology, co-chair of the FIRST Arizona Regional Planning Committee, FIRST sponsor and member of the FIRST Board of Directors. "The students' excitement was palpable as they saw the results of their hard work come to fruition."

Chandler, Ariz.-based Microchip Technology is the organizing sponsor of the FRC Arizona Regional. 50 high-school robotics teams from four countries, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States, competed in the 2012 FRC AZ Regional. 44 of those teams were from Arizona and three were from New Mexico. AZFirst, a nonprofit organization, awarded the Steve Sanghi Scholarship to Avery Silverman, a senior at Phoenix Country Day School. Funded by Steve and Maria Sanghi, this scholarship totals $16,000 over four years, and is awarded to an outstanding FIRST participant who intends to pursue a college degree in science, technology, engineering or math. Coconino High School won the Regional Chairman's Award, which recognizes the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate, and embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Patricia Smith, K-12 Outreach Coordinator for ASU, Ira Fulton School of Engineering, the FIRST Lego® League (FLL) Affiliate Partner, received the "Outstanding Volunteer of the Year" award for her success in growing the FLL robotics program for students ages 9-14.

Additionally, Ms. Jessica Popham, FIRST coach for Bioscience High School in Phoenix, received the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award, which recognizes a teacher or engineer who demonstrates excellence in teaching science, math and creative design. Christine Sapio from Coconino High School was awarded the "Arizona Teacher of the Year," based upon an essay written by her students.

Generous supporters of the 2012 FRC Arizona Regional included Organizing Sponsor Microchip Technology, Leader in Technology Microchip Technology Employees, Captain of Innovation Sponsors Avnet, Craig and Barbara Barrett, Medtronic Foundation, Microsoft Store, ON Semi, Steve and Maria Sanghi and Wells Fargo. Fan Sponsors included Wishes in Stitches/Alan and Margaret Jannuzzi, ON EAC, Robert and Cheryl Mahoney and In-kind Sponsors Alliance Industrial, ITT Tech-Tempe, Garcia's Restaurant, and Old Chicago Restaurant.

Due to the growing popularity of the FRC Arizona Regional, two separate FRC AZ regional events will be held in 2013. A Tucson-based Volunteer Planning Committee has been formed to expand the reach of all of the FIRST programs in Arizona. For more information and to get involved, contact FIRST Regional Director Carol Popovich at carol.popovich@microchip.com or (480) 792-7938.

About FIRST

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.microchip.com/get/31RQ.

About Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Ariz., Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip Web site (http://www.microchip.com/get/KB48).